Wednesday, February 02, 2011

A series of short stories by the wonderful Alice Hoffman all set in or around the same isolated house. It is originally build by a husband for his wife and two sones. They plan on starting a farm and a garden when he is lost at sea along with their two young children. The youngest son's pet blackbird who refused to fly escapes and makes it back home, but has turned white during the ordeal.

The house is not the only consistent aspect in the tales as the house passes through families and generations. A ghostly white blackbird is often seen and there are themes of love and loss. Sadly many of the characters become orphans or lose their children.

They are all beautiful and moving tales. One that really stayed with me was of a woman who loses her parents and home in a fire. She takes to living on the beach until some of the local women interfere and place her with the crippled blacksmith to keep his house. As time goes by she learns to trust and opens her heart again. She is gifted with a peach tree which is another constant in the tales that follow. Very highly recommended to anyone who likes great prose with a fairy tale lilt to it.

About Me

Hi there, I am based in London where I live with 3 monsters (read cats!). I am passionate about roller derby, indoor climbing, pole fitness, photography, books, films and computer games. I am studying towards a degree in photography part time and am also very interested in styling and creative directing.